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Western Australia - InterGrain’s short season AH wheat variety, Emu Rock, works well for Walebing wheat grower


Australia
April 11, 2013

Walebing, Western Australian wheat grower Graham Popplewell wants to grow wheat that works well at both ends of the season and, in particular, is low fuss at the business end of the season.

“At harvest, of course I want high yields, but I also want a wheat that isn’t difficult to harvest,” he said.

InterGrain’s short season AH wheat variety, Emu Rock, did the right thing for him in 2012.

Graham planted 22 hectares of Emu Rock in the middle of a Wyalkatchem paddock so he could directly compare the two varieties.

“Emu Rock started well, with head emergence five to seven days earlier than the Wyalkatchem and then at the business end, its harvestability was much better,” he said.

“Some wheats are definitely better to harvest than others and the evidence is there now, with virtually no self sown Emu Rock after recent rains, compared to Wyalkatchem, which visually confirmed what the grain loss monitor was telling me, hence performance in the harvester was obviously superior.”

Along with a one per cent protein advantage, Emu Rock also yielded an average of 15 per cent higher than the adjacent Wyalkatchem, as measured in the header on a yield monitor as the machine passed certain points in the paddock eight times on the division of varieties.

In shorter and drier seasons, Emu Rock will increasingly have a good fit in wheat growers’ programs, according to Graham.

“Emu Rock shapes as a very handy variety if weed pressure is making you wait for germination, or you’re going into old pasture that may not dry seed very well and when you need to get a variety in at the end of your main program.

“From my experience with Emu Rock, you can be quite confident it’ll compete better than Wyalkatchem and then yield favourably at the business end of the season,” he said.

InterGrain wheat breeder, Dr Chris Moore, believes growers should consider Emu Rock as an opportunity to diversify for effective disease and risk management.

On the risk management front, Emu Rock fits well when growers approach the end of their programs, as its large grain size means it has a lower tendency to produce screenings.

“Emu Rock boasts a good disease package, offering growers Stripe Rust resistance diversity (MR-MS rating) and a useful level of Crown Rot resistance (MS-S), similar to one of its parents, Kukri,” Chris said.

A crown rot resistance rating of MS-S is considered among the highest of commercially available varieties.

“As its stripe rust resistance is based on a number of genes, if the eastern states pathotype Yr17 was to hit WA then Emu Rock would still provide a strong level of resistance, compared with other single gene varieties,” Chris said.

InterGrain WA Territory Manager, David Meharry, described Emu Rock as the latest addition to InterGrain’s extensive range of purpose-bred wheats and one that should prove particularly useful in tough growing seasons and when growers need to minimise risk.

“Bringing together high performing parents Westonia, Kukri, Perenjori and Ajana, Emu Rock has robust genetics, plus a comprehensive agronomic package, making it an ideal low risk option for WA growers,” David said.
 



More news from: InterGrain Pty. Ltd.


Website: http://www.intergrain.com

Published: April 11, 2013

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